(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fragrance preparation which can be used as an equivalent replacement for the toxicologically disputed geranonitrile. It further relates to the use of said preparation for producing a citrus odor. It relates, furthermore, to various compositions, such as detergents, which comprise a fragrance preparation of this kind.
Many industrial and household products have fragrances added to them in order to mask their intrinsic unpleasant odor and/or for olfactory enhancement of these products or of objects treated with them. For instance, artificial leather can be made to smell like real leather, and thus the value of the product can be raised.
Odorants considered to be fragrances are preferably those which trigger a generally pleasant odor sensation in people and are therefore widely used for the perfuming of industrial and sanitary articles, soaps, cosmetics, bodycare products, and the like. In this sense, fragrances also include essences and aromas. Compounds of this kind are used on a widespread basis to generate good odors or to mask unpleasant odors.
For example, in the case of detergents and the like, fragrances are frequently added which per se in general have no cleaning properties, or comparatively minor cleaning properties, but which have a positive influence on users' sensorial impressions. In the case of detergents, there is a great desire not only for the inherent fragrancing of the product but also for the masking of disruptive secondary odors from the wash liquors. When, in laundering, fragrances are transferred from the detergent to the textile, this is generally perceived by the consumer as being very positive, and the consumer associates the good odor of the laundry with its cleanliness, on noting, for example, that a shirt has a very fresh fragrance. Fragrances, consequently, also have the effect of raising product acceptance.
Room fragrancing products and air fresheners are also important examples of the range of application of the fragrances. The action of the room fragrance in products is predominantly sensorial in nature, and by way of particular fragrance mixtures it is possible to bring about an increase in well-being. Here again, a positive experience may be associated with the good odor, for example, by a user noting that a bathroom in which a room fragrancing product has been placed smells as if freshly clean.
The selection of the fragrances, and their combination, depends above all on what association it is intended to bring about in use. For example, for all products which have to do with laundering or cleaning, it can be advantageous to include citrus fragrances in the combination, since to a large number of consumers these fragrances impart the feeling of fresh cleanliness. Citrus fragrances are widespread in nature. Typical examples are lemon, orange, tangerine, bergamot, grapefruit, lime, etc. Common to all of them is a fresh head note, which a great number of consumers associates with the idea of the aforesaid fresh cleanliness.
A citrus fragrance with high consumer acceptance and high stability in many products is geranonitrile (CAS 5416-66-7; 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienenitrile; BASF). Geranonitrile is used as a stable substitute for common citrus fragrance materials (such as the citrals, for example) in industrial products such as toilet cleaners, for example, as a fragrance, and produces a greatly desired and pleasant citrus fragrance note. Geranonitrile also lends itself well to incorporation into industrial products, such as detergents, and is stable in such products even when, for example, they have a high pH.
But according to new findings (BASF, 2003), geranonitrile possibly has a mutagenic potential. At the present time (2004), therefore, geranonitrile is classed under the EU classification criteria as a category 3 mutagen (M:3). For CMR (CMR=carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) substances in category 3 it is necessary to demonstrate that the amounts used are harmless to the consumer.
On the basis of the toxicological data which now exist, there is a concern, in the sense of preventive consumer protection, to replace this compound (geranonitrile) by other odorants and fragrances. There is no known single odorant having an odor profile that corresponds fully to that of geranonitrile.
Consequently the problem addressed by this invention was that of providing a geranonitrile substitute which in typical product applications, such as in detergents, has virtually the exact same odor as geranonitrile but is less objectionable from a toxicological standpoint.
(2) Description of Related Art, Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. §§1.97 and 1.98
Not Applicable